What was going on?
Kristen tugged the door again, suspicious. The restroom door was firmly locked; no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge.
Someone had locked it from the outside.
She reached for her phone to call for help—only to realize it was gone.
She could've sworn she'd set it on the sink, but now the countertop was empty.
There had been a woman washing her hands a moment ago. She must have taken it.
It had to be Grace. She didn't want Kristen to audition and planned to steal the phone to delete the flirty evidence with Finn.
No—she absolutely couldn't let that happen!
"Hello? Is anyone out there?"
Kristen pounded on the door with all her strength, trying to draw attention from anyone passing by. Her palms flushed red; her fingertips throbbed with pain, but no one answered.
At this rate she really would miss her audition.
She scanned the restroom. The window was sealed; even if it weren't, this was the 28th floor—there was no climbing out.
Her gaze landed on a fire extinguisher tucked in a corner.
Without a second of hesitation, she grabbed it and smashed it hard against the lock.
Once. Twice…
She didn't know how many times she struck before there was a sharp snap and the lock dropped to the floor. Kristen yanked the door open and ran for the conference room.
Only Director Hong's assistant stood outside, eyes going wide at the sight of her. "Miss Liang, I thought you'd left—what happened to you?"
"I went to the restroom and had a little accident," Kristen said, keeping the lock-in to herself. "Is Director Hong still here?"
"Director Hong…" The assistant looked awkward, glancing instinctively toward the room.
Kristen followed the look. Just then, the door opened and Director Hong stepped out with Grace, chatting and smiling.
"Director Hong…" Kristen hurried over, expression urgent yet apologetic. "Something unexpected happened just now. I hope you can give me a chance to audition."
Director Hong's face darkened. "I don't work with people who don't respect the clock. Everyone knows my rules."
Kristen looked at Grace, who dropped her gaze at once, avoiding eye contact.
"Director, I was maliciously locked in the restroom. If you don't believe me, you can pull the surveillance footage."
His expression tightened. "There was such a thing?"
He turned to his assistant. "Go check."
"Yes, Director," the assistant said, heading off.
Director Hong's gaze returned to Kristen. She looked a mess, and it seemed her hand was still bleeding…
"Your hand…"
Kristen glanced at the blood and shook her head. "It's nothing. Please give me one audition. If my performance doesn't satisfy you, I'll leave immediately—no arguments."
He hesitated, then, out of respect for Victor, nodded. "Come with me."
Relief loosened Kristen's chest. She followed him into the conference room. Left behind, Grace watched Kristen's back, a fleeting glint of malice vanishing from her eyes.
Director Hong pulled out a chair and sat, pointing to the open space at the front. "Start whenever you're ready."
Kristen stepped forward and took her mark. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counting down in her head: 3, 2, 1…
When her eyes opened, it was as if she were someone else—her gaze proud and cutting. "Who says a woman cannot examine corpses and solve cases…"
The sudden force of her presence stunned Director Hong. Even without costume or set, Leng Yue—the woman who unraveled strange cases to bring the dead peace—stood alive before him.
When Kristen finished, five full minutes passed before he came back to himself.
"Director Hong…" she prompted softly.
He rose at once, applauding. "Excellent. Truly excellent. You brought Leng Yue to life."
A bit disheveled as she was, it matched the script's Leng Yue—battered but unbowed, pride and resilience undimmed.
Broken, but not breakable.
Hearing his praise, Kristen finally exhaled. "I love this role, Director. I hope you'll give me the chance."
He nodded, about to say yes, when a teary voice sounded at the door. "Director Hong…"
Both turned toward the entrance. Grace hadn't left. Her face was pale, eyes brimming with tears.
(End of Chapter )